Connect with Us

Bremerton teen dies following Tuesday night car crash

A 16-year-old East Bremerton boy who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle early Wednesday morning following a rollover vehicle collision died later that same day.

Marcus Slaughter, an Olympic High School student, was airlifted to Harborview with life-threatening injuries at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and died at 5:40 p.m. that evening, according to Deputy Scott Wilson, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) spokesman. Wilson confirmed the teen's name and time of death with the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

Multiple units from Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue (CKFR) and KCSO responded to the rollover collision at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 7000 block of Old Military Road just north of NE Regal Court in East Bremerton. They found the 2002 Mazda Protege flipped upside down over an embankment and through a fence, according to CKFR.

An unlicensed 15-year-old East Bremerton boy was driving the car and Slaughter sat in the right front passenger seat, according to Wilson. A 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, both of East Bremerton, sat in the Mazda's back seat. The driver and two rear passengers were out of the vehicle when firefighters arrived, according to CKFR. Slaughter was found pinned under the car.

The car was traveling southbound on Old Military Road when it crossed the northbound lane of traffic, struck a fence, went through a yard and struck another section of fence, Wilson said. The vehicle then rolled and hit a tree.

Slaughter was partially ejected and pinned under the vehicle. CKFR firefighters used heavy rescue equipment to extricate the teen who was flown via Airlift Northwest to Harborview shortly before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The three other teens were transported to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton with non-life threatening injuries. The 15-year-old driver was wearing a seat belt, while Slaughter was not, Wilson said. It is unknown if the two back seat passengers were wearing seat belts.

"There's no indication alcohol was a factor, but speed was a factor in the crash," Wilson said.

The Mazda is registered to the 15-year-old driver's parents, Wilson said, and the sheriff's office continues to investigate whether or not the boy's parents knew he was driving the vehicle.

Central Kitsap School District Spokesman David Beil said the school district is providing counseling services for Olympic students and staff affected by the car crash.

KCSO continues to investigate the collision. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Deputy Rick Cowell, with the sheriff's traffic unit, at (360) 337-4634.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.